Since you saw it (Andrew) too, I cannot believe you think that you could be
spared by having a foldover well tied down...
In your own post you pointed out how Mother Nature snapped poles, etc...yet
you say that should not be considered...huh?
I am saying that when it comes it comes and it will take whatever it wants -
nothing can be spared. I am NOT saying a guyed tower will survive a
hurricane when a foldover will not...
What I am saying is that for day to day safety and security I would take a
fixed tower over the inherently fallible crankup without even a chance at a
second thought...period.
I am worried there are guys reading this stuff who really think they can
beat the forces of Mother Nature if they simply maintain the crankups...
73,
Jim, K4OJ
----- Original Message -----
From: "John & Margaret Weatherley" <teamw@quixnet.net>
To: <Towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 4:36 AM
Subject: [Towertalk] Crank up towers !
> I have an old Ezway crank-up/tilt-over that was 72 ft tall when extended
but
> has been shortened to about 60 ft (I don't want to talk about that!).
> It has two safety latches and the modus operandi is to crank it up until
the
> latches engage then back off on the winch so that the tower settles back
> onto the latches. Then backing the winch off a bit more allows the cable
to
> relax and there is no weight on it.
> I used this tower for over ten yrs. and electively replaced the cable
once.
> I guyed it three ways near the top and two ways at the top of section one.
> It had the heavy duty ground post well imbedded in the Florida soil.
>
> Incidentally, I led an ARES comms. team into Homestead FL a few hours
after
> Andrew went through. Any discussion using that as a comparison is
> inappropriate when you consider that the huge power company reinforced
> concrete power poles carrying the HV lines were either flat on the ground
or
> leaning drunkenly at various angles, also the big green direction gantries
> on I-95 were flat on the ground and had to be bulldozed out of the way.
> There were few if any towers still standing, including cell. phone
systems.
> In fact we even provided the only long haul comms. for the US army unit
for
> the first week since they did not have the capability.
> The wind is not the only factor, A mobile home (or parts thereof) slamming
> into your tower or guy wires at 100 plus mph is not a survivable
situation.
> I would still prefer the telescopic tower, cranked all the way down,
tilted
> over to the horizontal and secured with heavy duty tie-downs.
> 73
> John AB4ET
>
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